Improvement in devices for sighting and firing ordnance



GEORGE'K. FARRINGTON, OF ALCIA'IRAZV ISLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO HILIISELF, LORENZ() HUBBARD, AND C. W. M. SMITH.

Letters Patent No. 110,448, dated December 27, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN DEVICES FOR SIGHTING ND FIRING'ORDNANCE.

The Schedule referred tonin these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern Bc it known that I, GEORGE K. FAnnlNGfroN, of Alcatraz Island, county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improved Device for Sighting and Firing Cannon 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters marked thereon.

The first part of my invention relates more partie- .ularly to a device or means for taking sight or aim at an object on a line coincident to and parallel with the axis ofthe bore ofthe gun. i

Second, to prevent the recurrence of premature explosions of the cartridge and gas in ordnance while loading, by causing the vent to be hermet-rically closed after each discharge, by the act-ion of the appliance for firingthe gun, andV doing away with the necessity of tlnnnbing or serving vent with the thumb, thereby preventing the possibility of accident.

Third, to give a central ignition to the charge of powder inthe cartridge, thereby securing au equal consumption of the powder on all sides, and a consequent equal expansion of the gases upon the projectile and surrounding parts of the gun.

Fourth, to 'gain tl full eliective force of the gas upon the' projectile by securely closing the vent the inst-.int of ignition of the cartridge, that no gas oscapes by the vent, preventing the enlargement oi' the ventl caused by the rush otgas intensely heated through it, (as is the case in the ordinary manner of iring,) doing away with the necessity ot' bushing the vent after becoming enlarged to such an extent as to materially affect the force of the gas upon the projectile.

Fifth, to secure the safety of the parties tiring and aiming the gun from the fire of sharpshooters, where guns are mounted en Barbctte,7 there being no uecessity of exposing any part of their'pcrson above th'e parapet to-take sight or to serve vent.

My improvement consists in forming a ven-l; in the breech of the gun, 011 a line parallel with the axis of the bore, in the immediate rear of' which is a chamber forfthe reception of a percussion-primer and a percussion-needle.

A perpendicular recess or chamber is formed Ain the cascable to receive a plunger or wedge, the weight of which forces the percussion-needle into the' fulminating-powder which i`s contained in the percussionprimer by which the piece is discharged.

lhe vent is made air and gas-tight where the wedge orpiunger is forced down by its own weight, in connection with the weight at the end of a lever attached by a. pitman or link to the plunger, and the vent re- `1nains closed (hiring the exit of the charge and until cascable, extending from its base to the base of the to the reinforce or breech of' the gun by brackets and For sighting purposes, a tube having a wire across the center of one ot' the open ends, for the purpose oi' keeping the center ofthe line of sight parallel with the axis ot' the bore, and which may contain telescopic lenses, is inserted in thevent-chamber extending back a little beyond the base of the cascable.

The rear end of tube being retained in position parallel to the vent or bore by means of a hook 0n the base of cascable,tl1e1 wire hook inthis tube is intended to withdraw the primer and needle.

Referring to thc drawing- Figure 1.1'eprescnts a longitudinal section of breech and cascable, and a portion of the chase of the gun, Parrott principle.

Figure 2 isa rear elevation of breech.-

Figure 3 is an elevation and end view of percussionneedle.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section and end view of percussion-primer.

To enable others skilled in the art or science to which itinost nearly appertaius to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A A represent the chase.

B B, the reinforce.

C C, the breech.

D D, base of breech.

E E, cascable.

F, the bore.

G, the side-chamber in cascable, extending from base. of cascable to base ol' breech.

H is the plunger.

I, the perpendicular recess or chamber in caseable, to receive plunger.

J is the percussion-needle. f

K, the percussion-primer, containing fulminatingpowder at L.

IWI is the pitnian or link connecting plunger with lever N.

0 is the rest to ,support lever and plunger.

l is the veut.

Q, vent-chamber.

It, the primer-hook, taking the place of' a lanyard.

.S is the sighting-tube.

Principle of Working.

'lhe cartridge and projectile having lbeen inserted inthe gun, the plunger is raised and supported by the rest O, which has an eye near its base for a lanyard-hook.

1f the piece has been previously discharged, the old percussion-primer is withdrawn containing the needle, (there being an eye 0n the primer to hook in a. short lanyardi'or this purpose,) a new percussion-primer is put on the needle, the cartridge is pricked through the vent by a priming-wire, and the whole placed in the chamber Qin the breech, in the immediate rear withthe copper shell of the percussion-primer swaged around it in the vent and chamber, hermetically seals the vent from any escape ot' gas, while the plunger,

being immovable vvertically or horizontally, the needle'.

is retained firmly in its position in the vent.

At the moment the needle is driven home the ful-- minate is ignited, and there is no escape ot' fulminate tire to thc rear; all passes through the veiit into the cartridge with such force that the cartridge is ignited in the center of the mass oi' powderfi'om the base to;

front instantly, and all ot' the powder is consumed and unequal expansion upon the projectile 'and surrounding parts ofthe gun is obtained, the projectile receiving the i'iill force of the gas, as none escapes through thc vent, as in the ordinarymanner of'tiriiw.

In all cases the plunger should remain down until the gun is again loaded, when, to tire again, everything i'ieretotore described ninst be done.

In this invention it will beobvious'that, by placing the ventl at and Athrough the -base of the breech to the center of thc termination ot' the bore of the gun 'with the appliance for ltiring, 'premature discharges will Vbe. prevented whileloadiug the gun, from the residue of powder left in the gun after a discharge,'or

from the ignition ot' the cartridge when inserted at'ter a previous discharge, caused by a draughtof air through the vent while sponging or inserting the cartridge.

This draught through the vent ot' ordinary giins is caused often by'the carelessness ofthe man serving the vent with his thumb, either in not properly covering the vent -or allowing the thumb to be removed for an instant. Sometimes, however, it is caused by the heat of the gun after rapid and frequent discharges, causing the man to remove the thumb by reason of this intense heat, there being frequently tire left in the grin after a discharge. A draughtI of air passing through the vent into the boi'e increases or intensities this tire by ignitiiig the inflammable residue' and also the` cartridge which is being rammed do'wn, and a premature discharge is the consequence, sacri- 'cing the limbs and lives'of men loading the gun.

' But -in my invention the vent is hcrinetically closed the instant of ignition of thc cartridge, and remains ent, is-

so closed .until the gun,is reloaded, preventing the possibility of a premature lire, and permitting no gas whatever to pass through the vent when the cartridge is ignited, thereby causing wear on the rent, as is the case in the ordinary ginis where the vents require to be hushed frequently, the force of the gas' and the intensity of the'tlaine passing up through the Vent wearing it away or burning it, and increasing the size beyond that required foreifectiveness of the gas upon the projectile.

Again, itwill thus be, clearly seen that by the use of my device the projectile receives the full force of .ll the gas, from the ignited powder, and the vent never requires bushing.

Also, by yhaving the vent through the center ofthe breech, a central tire is communicated to the ppwder, and an 'equal consumption ot' the powder and an equal expansion ofthe gas are obtained upon the sides ofthe bore and projectile, preventing what is termed lodgi ment of the projectile through tlicirregiilarity ot the force ofthe gas upon it, causing the, projectile to bound-troni one side of the bore to the-other in its exit, and producing deuts'iu the bore'by the lodginent ot' the projectile in its exit, termed honeycomb in the bore.

rEhe gun may be sighted, previous to giving it. the proper degree of elevation tor the dstande, at any object on an immediate line with the axis of the bore. through the vent, by means of a tube placed in a chamber in rear ot' the rent, extending back through the chamber Gin the'cascable.

This tube may be a telescope adapted for thepurpose, or an ordinary tube having a tine wire across the center of one' ot" the open ends, which is carried out on the line of vision indicating the center ot' the bore. In sighting a gun in this manner `the person is not exposed to the fire of sharpshooters, and a.

greater degree ot accuracy is attained in line shots. Neither is a manA exposed to the tire ofsharpshooters to serve vent while loading.

The appliance or device. can be adapted to any principle ot' cannon and to close the rent. It is also equally applicable to side or lateral vents, as well as to a vent in t'he center ot' the breech.

Haring thus described my inventitm,

` \Vhat l claim, and desire to secure by Letters Pat- 1. 'L he cascable E provided with the recess G, in combination with the chambered vent l in the breech, as and for the purpose described.

2. rflic cascabel E havingthe recess I, when conibiiied with the wedge H, as described, for the purpose set forth. l i Y 3. A piece of ordnance constructed substantially as described, with chambers, recesses, wedge, weight, and rest, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and scal.

GEO. K. FARR-INGTON. [L. s]

Witnesses:

C. W. M. SMITH, E. V. Sonrisas. 

